Hong Kong’s leader blasted the U.S. for “double standards” in the way it handles protests after the Trump administration vocally supported sometimes-violent demonstrations in the Asian financial hub.
The U.S., which has passed bipartisan legislation backing Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp, now finds itself engulfed by widespread unrest of its own, triggered by the death of African-American man George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis.
“Look at how the local governments handle chaos in the U.S. and what stance they took on a similar level of chaos in Hong Kong last year,” Chief Executive Carrie Lam said at a weekly news briefing Tuesday. “They are highly concerned about their national security, while holding different standards for our country, especially over Hong Kong’s situation.”
Lam’s government is facing renewed anti-government protests as China’s plan to enact sweeping national security legislation over the city fuels public anger. President Donald Trump vowed to revoke some of the city’s special trading privileges and impose sanctions against Chinese and Hong Kong officials “directly or indirectly involved” in eroding the city’s autonomy.
Lam’s backers in Beijing have seized the opportunity to needle the Trump administration over the protests in recent days, with Chinese propaganda outlets showing scenes from the U.S. of burning buildings, harsh police responses and demonstrators decrying the government.
Lam on Tuesday addressed the possibility of U.S. sanctions, saying there was “no justification whatsoever” for any foreign governments to level them on Hong Kong.
“For the time being, I have not seen or heard any details from the U.S. administration,” she said. “My stance is to point out to the American government, and any other governments if that arises, is that they will be hurting their own interests in Hong Kong,” she added.
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